We need to have a talk about your job performance
You might remember the first time you were ever truly criticized. Maybe
it was at school, during recess, some doofus calling you a dork and
lobbing a medicine ball at your head. Maybe one of your siblings
regularly tore into you as a kid, causing you to cringe internally even
when you get together as adults. Whatever the case, most people are not
naturally suited to receiving criticism, whether it's some deep-seated
Freudian response or a general species-wide aversion.
At the same time, knowing how to take criticism well is an important
quality in an employee, and if you respond to the smallest critique by
shutting down (or lobbing a medicine ball at someone's head), you're
doing yourself a major disservice. Fortunately, AOL Jobs has rounded up
the best posts about receiving criticism from around the web, so take a
look. And don't worry: this won't hurt a bit.
Accepting criticism
Don't wait until your boss to come to you. Ask for regular feedback on
how you're doing, so you're not blindsided by a less-than-satisfactory
performance review (or worse, layoffs). Maybe this sounds a bit like
asking for punishment--and yes, it might be a little uncomfortable at
first--but it pays to have a thick skin.
If you show up to work an hour late every day, looking like a caveman
and smelling like last night's tacos, you might want to take a step back
and evaluate the attitude you bring to work every day. Regular reality
checks can help you understand criticism before you get it, and focus on
what you need to change.
You can't control when you're going to receive criticism, or how it's
going to be delivered. What you can control is how you react: do you
cover your ears and start humming "The Star-Spangled Banner," or do you
listen and attempt to absorb what's been said to you? If you find
yourself in a painful situation, you can always talk it out over
margaritas later.
When a boss criticizes you, they're not looking for you to defend
yourself--they're looking for you to listen to what they're saying. So
don't say, "Wow! I'm surprised and upset to hear you say this!" Say,
"Wow! This is incredibly helpful, and I will continue to focus on these
areas of improvement!" Except, you know, don't say it exactly like that.
Dealing with bad criticism
Not all criticism is constructive. Sometimes it's rude, snide, or
unnecessarily withering; even when it's delivered by a fellow employee
(rather than your boss), you still need to remain tactful in your
reaction. Try to understand what they're saying and focus on the problem
itself, rather than the personality clash that brought it to the
surface.
The delivery may be flawed, but that's not to say there isn't any truth
to what's being delivered. Try to divorce what's being said to you from
its emotional content, and you might just find that there's something to
learn. Even if it's buried beneath an avalanche of four-letter words.
Getting better
So your year-end review didn't go the way you were hoping. Maybe some of
the things your boss told you were hard to hear, but try not to take it
too personally. Instead, think of it as a game plan to move forward,
and hopefully wow 'em next time.
Rather than fearing criticism, try to embrace it. We're not talking
about a personal attack, here. This is an opportunity for you to get
better at what you do. Ideally, people dole out criticism not because
they think you're a weak link, but because they see your full potential.
That's something we should be thankful for--even if getting there is a
bit painful.